A Touch of Ayurveda

Ghee is healthy and does not induce fat – as long as you don’t eat gulab jaamun with ice cream. Alcohol is not a taboo – as long as the dosage is just right. Every statement had its own terms and conditions, said Dr Vivekanand, clinical registrar at IAIM Healthcare Centre, Bengaluru. He was talking about Ayurveda and how it is individualised, at a session hosted by KAMA Ayurveda, an ayurvedic brand, in association with the Duchess Club at Savera Hotel, on Monday. After the interactive session, a brief about the different products offered by Kama Ayurveda was explained by Vivek Sahni, co-founder of Kama Ayurveda.

“We try and make the product as clean as possible. All our products are 100 per cent organic,” said Sahni, explaining various products from brigandi, intense-hair treatment to Mridul, a soap-free face cleanser, to 150 women from the Duchess Club, who also received a goody bag from Kama Ayurveda at the end of the session.

But the underlying mantra was just four words. “Understand who you are,” Vivekanand emphasised throughout the interactive session. From food, sleep to lifestyle — it all depends on the body condition of the individual. Four almonds or more every morning, and six hours or 10 hours of sleep, actions and reactions are different in different bodies.

The doctor stressed the fact that geographical and traditional methods should be followed. “Olive oil is not for us. Stick to your traditional practice, wherever you are from. If your family used groundnut oil, then continue with it,” he said.

He added that if an individual migrated to another region, the body would take about 90 days to get used to the new air and water.

Vivekanand also focused on the problems women face during their menstrual cycle. “Find ways of de-stressing while menstruating. Lock yourself in your room for about an hour and do something that relaxes you. It could be dancing, or singing and do switch off your mobile phones.

“Women during their menstrual cycle are hyper stressed. To top that, their husband comes back home and asks for a cup of coffee. He could have had it at Starbucks,” he said, as the crowd burst into peals of laughter.